Title: Data Resources Program 2002 Solicitation Funding for the Analysis of Existing Data Series: Solicitation Author: National Institute of Justice Published: December 2001 Subject: Grants and funding 14 pages 24,000 bytes ------------------------------ To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from NCJRS at 800-851-3420 (877-712-9279 For TTY users). ------------------------------ U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice National Institute of Justice Solicitation Sarah V. Hart, Director December 2001 Data Resources Program 2002 Solicitation Funding for the Analysis of Existing Data APPLICATION DEADLINES: February 25, 2002 June 25, 2002 October 25, 2002 ------------------------------ U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street N.W. Washington, DC 20531 John Ashcroft Attorney General Deborah J. Daniels Assistant Attorney General Sarah V. Hart Director, National Institute of Justice For grant and funding information, contact: Department of Justice Response Center 800-421-6770 Office of Justice Programs World Wide Web Site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov National Institute of Justice World Wide Web Site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij ------------------------------ Data Resources Program 2002 Funding for the Analysis of Existing Data What's New! NIJ has fully implemented the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program. Re-engineered from the previous Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program, the new ADAM program includes standard interview and data collection protocols across 35 sites, and probability-based sampling. Additionally, ADAM remains the only national research program on drug use to employ both interview and drug testing measures of participants. ADAM interview data provide information about many issues in addition to drug use. The newly designed ADAM interview protocol includes in depth focus on five primary drugs and patterns of use; a validated drug use dependency and abuse scale; self-reported participation in inpatient, outpatient, and mental health treatment; prior arrest history; and drug acquisition and recent use patterns. Most importantly, new protocols include elements common and comparable to other national drug data sets. In 2000, the ADAM program collected drug use data from more than 40,000 adult male arrestees and 9,000 adult female arrestees using a newly designed instrument that both preserves the key drug use measures of the old instrument (i.e., DUF) but considerably extends the utility of the interview data through new features (491 variables). As a priority topic under the 2002 DRP Solicitation, NIJ is now requesting proposals for secondary data analysis using existing ADAM/ DUF data (1987-2000). I. Introduction The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) requests proposals to conduct research using data from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD). NACJD houses quantitative and qualitative data from NIJ sponsored research, and makes it available online for downloading machine-readable copies (in SPSS, SAS or ASCII), together with data dictionaries and study abstracts. The archive is maintained by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan, and is supported by NIJ. Of particular interest are projects that will utilize data sets resulting from projects supported by the NIJ, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and by other Office of Justice Programs (OJP) offices and agencies. Priority Topics. Applicants should note that replication of original findings is in itself viewed as an important goal. In addition, the Institute is particularly interested, although not exclusively, in innovative proposals that address the following issues: o Sentencing, sentencing guidelines, intermediate sanctions, and consequences of sentencing policy o Adjudication o Corrections o Violence against women and family violence o Drugs and crime (including ADAM) o Violence, including examination of the correlates of violent criminal behavior o Policing, including community-oriented policing, problem-oriented policing, and other issues related to policing practices Of particular interest are: o Studies that test original hypotheses by replicating and verifying original findings and comparing results with those obtained by applying new statistical methods o Studies that test original hypotheses using sensitivity analysis (e.g., "If I add socioeconomic status to my model, or change the cut point in the indices I am using, do my findings change?") o Studies that test new hypotheses using existing NACJD data sets by applying new statistical methods. o Studies that use and/or combine archived data sets containing similar information collected at different times or from different sites. o Applications of alternative or emerging statistical techniques and methodologies to archived data sets that extend the understanding of criminal justice processes and criminal behavior. o Research on archived data sets that explores the development of applications of direct benefit to practitioners and/or policy makers. Obtaining Secondary Data. Hundreds of NIJ-sponsored data sets are now available at NACJD covering a wide range of criminal justice topics. Data collections (and abstracts and codebooks) are now available for downloading via Internet Web pages of the NACJD at ICPSR. Connect to the NACJD home page using the following URL: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/nacjd For information about obtaining data sets other than through the NACJD Web site, call 800-999-0960. Questions or comments can also be sent to nacjd@icpsr.umich.edu. Copies of user guides and codebooks are available at no charge from NACJD, ICPSR, Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 (phone 800-999-0960 or 734-998-9825). II. Selection Criteria NIJ is firmly committed to a competitive process in making grant awards. External peer review panelists consider both technical and programmatic merits of a proposed topic. Successful applicants must demonstrate to an independent peer review panel that: 1) the gap in knowledge they seek to fill is critical to understanding crime and justice and is policy relevant; 2) the proposed research design is rigorous and appropriate to posited research questions; and, 3) principal investigators are highly qualified to execute the design within the proposed budget. Institute staff then make recommendations to the NIJ Director based on the results of the independent reviews. Final decisions are made by the NIJ Director after consultation with Institute staff. Reviews of grant applications are based upon the following criteria: o Impact of the Project - Importance of the problem - Potential for significant advances in areas such as violence and victimization, drugs and crime, crime prevention, law enforcement, courts, corrections - Potential for advancement of scientific understanding of the problem area - Relevance to improving the policy and practice of criminal justice and related agencies and for improving public safety, security, and quality of life. o Quality and Technical Merit - Awareness of existing research - Soundness of methodology, analytic, or technical approach - Innovation and creativity, where appropriate - Feasibility of proposed project and awareness of pitfalls. o Capabilities, Demonstrated Productivity, and Experience of Applicants - Qualifications and experience of personnel to proposed project - Demonstrated ability to manage proposed effort - Adequacy of proposed budget including time and personnel - Past performance on NIJ grants and contracts. o Budget Considerations - Total cost relative to perceived benefit - Budget appropriate to level of effort - Use of existing resources to conserve costs. The review process (including peer review, decision-making and other considerations) may take up to six months to complete. Notices of award and non-award are distributed simultaneously about 90 days subsequent to the closing date of a solicitation. Notifications will be sent to the address as indicated on the Application for Assistance. Information regarding award status will not be available until notifications are distributed. III. How to Apply Individuals interested in submitting proposals in response to this solicitation must complete the required application forms and related documents Applicants must include all of the following information and completed forms to qualify for consideration: PART A: o Application for Federal Assistance - Standard Form (SF 424) o Proposal abstract o Table of contents o Budget Detail Worksheet o Budget Narrative o Negotiated indirect rate agreement (if appropriate) o Program narrative o References o Names and affiliations of all key persons including applicants and subcontractor(s), advisors, consultants, and advisory board members. Include name of principal investigator, title, organizational affiliation, department (if institution of higher education), address, phone, fax, and e-mail address. o List all previous and current NIJ awards and grant numbers including information on final reports and other deliverables to NIJ (whether submitted or outstanding) and a listing of all publications (by NIJ or other publishers) resulting from each grant award. PART B: o Privacy certificate o Protection of Human Subjects Assurance Identification/Certification/Declaration (Form 310) o Environmental Assessment (if required) o Geographic Areas Affected Worksheet o Assurances o Certifications Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (one form) o Disclosure of Lobbying Activities o Appendixes: - Letters of cooperation from organizations collaborating in the research project - Resumes - Other materials The Application Package is available at the NIJ Web site under the URL: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/funding_app.htm The Application for Assistance. The Standard Form 424 should be the first page of the application. Please follow the instructions in completing the Standard Application for Assistance Form. In item 10 of the Application, be sure to include 16.560 as the Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number. Indicate the Title to be the "Data Resource Program 2002 Solicitation." Enter the title of your proposal in Item 11. Start and end dates in Item 13 should be adjusted to accommodate a three month grant making process. For this solicitation, proposed projects should not have a start date earlier than 90days after the application due date. The Proposal Abstract. The proposal abstract is a very important part of the application. The abstract is used in sorting applications for review by the appropriate independent peer panel. Once an award has been granted, the abstract is computerized and serves as a summary available to all interested parties for the duration of the grant. When read separately from the rest of the application, the abstract should serve as a succinct and accurate description of the proposed work. Applicants should concisely describe research goals and objectives, research design, and methods for achieving the goals and objectives. Length is not to exceed 400 words. Use the following two headers and instructions in developing the abstract. Research Goals and Objectives: Statement of Purpose. State the problem under investigation including goals and objectives of the proposed research project, and anticipated relevance of the project to public policy and/or practice. Research Subjects. If applicable, describe subjects who will be involved in the proposed project including the number of participants, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and other pertinent characteristics such as how you will gain access to participants. Proposed Research Design & Methodology: Methods. Describe the research method and/or design including data to be used in addressing research questions, data collection procedures and instrumentation, access to data, and other methods or procedures unique to the proposed study. Data Analysis and Products. Describe proposed techniques for data analysis and all expected products including interim and final reports, instrumentation, and data to be archived under NIJ's Data Resource Program. The Program Narrative. The program narrative should provide information and detail to adequately describe the proposed project and should include: o Purpose, Goals and Objectives o Brief Review of Relevant Literature o Methodology o Anticipated Results and Products o Staff/Management Plan o Tables, Charts, Figures & Research Time-line (not within page limit) Page limit. The number of pages included in the "Program Narrative" section of the application must not exceed fifteen (15), double-spaced pages in 12-point font, with one inch margins. Tables, charts and figures describing the research design, calendar, analysis plan, etc. are encouraged and will not be counted in the page limitation. Due date. Ten (10) copies (one unbound) of complete proposals must be received at the National Institute of Justice by 4:30 p.m. on one of three due dates during 2002 (Due dates are listed on the cover of this announcement and on the NIJ Web site). Extensions to these deadlines are not permitted. Faxed or electronically transmitted copies are not accepted. NIJ reserves the right to return incomplete applications, those not responsive to the scope of this solicitation, or those not complying with format requirements. Names and affiliations of the author(s) of the proposal should be clearly identified. Proposals that are incorrectly collated, incomplete, or handwritten may be considered as submitted or, at NIJ's discretion, may be returned without further review. Proposals exceeding the page limit will not be reviewed. No additions to the original submission are allowed. Award Information. Researchers from all disciplines who are interested in basic research, and/or addressing topical criminal justice practice or policy concerns through the exploration and analysis of archived data are encouraged to apply. Particular consideration will be given to proposals that suggest innovative applications of emerging statistical techniques and analytic methodologies. Awards will not be made to individuals to conduct additional analyses on data they collected under a previous NIJ grant or contract. Applicants should demonstrate familiarity with the data that they propose to analyze and with literature related to the data. Of particular importance is demonstrating that the data are appropriate for proposed analyses, and that measures necessary to conduct proposed analyses are available. Applicants who propose the use of older data sets are encouraged to address the implications for theoretical, policy and practice inferences. Competitive applications will propose reproducing the major analyses of the original study to ensure comparability and better appreciate how the data were used previously, before embarking on new analyses. NIJ recognizes that the ability to reproduce findings is in part a function of how complete the supporting documentation from the previous study is, and that this preliminary analysis may not always be possible. Awards of up to $35,000 will be made to support research to be conducted within a one year period. Indirect charges for these awards will be limited to 20 percent of direct costs within the $35,000 limit. Applicants are encouraged to specify what resources they have in place to complete the proposed project (e.g., physical plant, computer hardware and software). Application Materials. Applicants should obtain two packets: 1) application forms (including a sample budget worksheet); and, 2) guidelines for submitting proposals (including requirements for proposal writers and requirements for grant recipients). To receive them, applicants can: o Access NIJ Web site and download application information at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/funding.htm o Request hard copies of the forms and guidelines by mail from the NCJRS at 800-851-3420 or from the Department of Justice Response Center at 800-421-6770 (in the Washington, D.C., area, at 202-307-1480). o Request copies by fax. Call 800-851-3420 and select option 1, then option 1 again for NIJ. Code is 1023. Please note that instructions provided in this announcement supersede those outlined in the document: Guidelines for Submitting Proposals for National Institute of Justice - Sponsored Research. IV. Guidelines For Grantees NIJ has established guidelines for grantees regarding deliverables such as final reports and data sets. Ninety (90) days prior to the completion of the grant period, grantees are expected to submit in draft form: a 400 word abstract; a 2,500 word executive summary; and, a technical research report. Final Deliverables o Abstract (400 words) o Executive Summary (2,500 words) o Technical Report o Electronic data and supporting documentation All NIJ draft research reports are peer reviewed upon submission. The reviews are forwarded to the principal investigator with suggestions for revisions. The principal investigator is then required to submit the revised final report, abstract, executive summary, final data set and codebook/data dictionary by the end date of the grant. The abstract, executive summary and final report are to be submitted in both paper and electronic/diskette versions. The data set and codebook/dictionary are also to be submitted in electronic form. Data sets must be received by the grant end date. Grant applicants should ensure that the proposed time line and budget accommodates these requirements. In addition to the abstract, executive summary, technical report and data set, grantees are required to submit quarterly financial status reports and semi-annual progress reports. Financial Status Report Financial status reports (SF 269-A) are to be submitted quarterly no later than 45 days following the end of each calendar quarter. Two copies of the financial status report must be submitted to the Office of the Comptroller every quarter during which the award is active even if there has been no financial activity during the reporting period. Additionally, a final financial report is due 120 days after the end date of the award. Future awards and fund drawdowns will be withheld if financial status reports are delinquent. Semi-annual Progress Report Recipients of funding are also required to submit semi-annual Categorical Assistance Progress Reports. Two copies of the progress report must be submitted to the Office of the Comptroller twice a year even if there has been no substantive activity during the reporting period. The progress report should describe activities during the reporting period and status or accomplishment of objectives as set forth in the approved application for funding. For the duration of the award, progress reports must be submitted within 30 days after the end of the reporting periods (January 1 through June 30 and July 1 through December 31). Additionally, a Final Progress Report providing a summary of achievement of the goals and objectives of the award, significant results, and any products developed under the award, is due 90 days after the end date of the award. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if progress reports are delinquent. Forms for submitting financial and progress reports are available at the NIJ Web site. Report formats will also be provided by the Office of Justice Programs at the time of the grant award. CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION AND HUMAN SUBJECT PROTECTION NIJ has adopted new policies and procedures regarding the confidentiality of information and human subjects protection. The Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations at 28 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 22 require recipients of NIJ research funds to protect personally identifiable information that is collected from all research participants. The regulations at 28 CFR Part 22 require applicants for NIJ funding to outline specific procedures for protection of private information about individuals as part of the Privacy Certificate submitted with the application package. In addition to the regulations in Part 22, DOJ has adopted policies concerning protection of human subjects which are the same as those established by the Department of Health and Human Services in 45 CFR Part 46, Subpart A, also known as the "Common Rule." The DOJ regulations are set forth in 28 CFR Part 46. In general, 28 CFR Part 46 requires that all research involving human subjects conducted or supported by a federal department or agency be reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) before federal funds are expended for that research. If IRB approval is required for this project, a copy of the IRB's approval as well as supporting documentation concerning the IRB's institutional affiliation, its polices and procedures, and necessary assurances must submitted to the National Institute of Justice prior to the initiation of any research activities that are not exempt from the provisions of 28 CFR Part 46. Further information regarding Confidentiality and Human Subjects Protections may be found in Guidelines for Submitting Proposals for National Institute of Justice-Sponsored Research. Guidance and information. Applicants who wish to receive additional guidance and information may contact the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at 800-421-6770. Center staff can provide assistance or refer applicants to an appropriate NIJ professional. Send completed forms to: Data Resources Program Solicitation National Institute of Justice 810 Seventh Street N.W. Washington, DC 20531 [overnight courier ZIP code 20001] Recent Data Resource Program Awards Enhancing Imputation Methodologies for County-Level Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Data (2001-7211-IL-IJ) Michael Maltz, University of Illinois, Chicago, $34,997. An Exploration of the Correlates of Specialization and Escalation (2001-7203-AZ-IJ) Todd Armstrong & Chester Britt, Arizona State University, $30,814. Applying Fuzzy Statistical Methods to Survey Data: Reanalysis of the National Opinion Survey on Crime & Justice, 1995 (2001-7212-TX-IJ) Steven Cuveliier, Sam Houston State University. Gender, Economic Transformation, and Urban Violence (2001-7225-FL-IJ) Karen Parker, University of Florida, $32,440. Investigating Intimate Partner Violence Using National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) Data (2000-IJ-CX-0013) Colin Loftin, State University of New York, Albany, $34,996. ADAM data and related code books are available through ICPSR. If you are interested in using ADAM data and would like to learn more about the program, please visit the ADAM Web site: http://www.adam-nij.net From that site you can download a Methodology Guide, an Analytic Guide, and annualized statistics for ADAM sites in calendar year 2000. If you would like a copy of the data collection instrument, please e-mail Karen Cyrus at cyrusk@ojp.usdoj.gov. SL 000503 ------------------------------ For more information on the National Institute of Justice, please contact: National Criminal Justice Reference Service Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849-6000 800-851-3420 e-mail: askncjrs@ncjrs.org You can view or obtain an electronic version of this document from the NCJRS Justice Information Center Web site (http://www.ncjrs.org) or the NIJ Web site (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij). If you have any questions, call or e-mail NCJRS.